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Arts & Communication Reconciled futures

applicants after consulting the budget for the project. It exposure to different departments within the museum and
should be mentioned that the public art deliverable played a basic introduction to Northwest Coast Art style (formline
a role in the selection process, resulting in older teens design) through a series of drawing lessons. These lessons
being given priority. were culturally specific to Northwest Coast communities,
Although we sought to offer the opportunity to teens and it was important to Karen that the selected youths were
from all three host nation communities, we did not from coastal communities – that they were learning their
receive any applications from Tsleil-Waututh youths. After own traditions.
connecting with Tsleil-Waututh colleagues, we learned The proto-Northwest Coast tradition is built on a
that their community already had spring break programs relatively small number of design elements that make
in place and that their demographics did not fit well up the majority of the carved-out portions of any
with our targeted age range (many of their children were given composition: incised circles and ovals, crescents,
younger). As they did not have youths to fill the positions, and the characteristic triangular forms with inward
they supported our selection of youth from Tsawwassen, a curving sides known as trigons. The interplay of these
neighboring Coast Salish community. The demographics core shapes (which form the negative elements) and
of the program participants were Musqueam (14), the surrounding surfaces (which make up the positive
Musqueam/Haida (15), Squamish (17), Squamish/ design forms) creates the essential design system from
Ojibway (14), Oregon Jack Creek Band (16), Haida (12), which both the southern (including mid-Coastal) and
and Tsawwassen (13, 14, and 15). The latter three were northern design traditions appear to have evolved. In
the case of the southern design traditions, specifically
boys, whereas the other participants all identified as girls.
the Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish, the essence of
There were several reasons for our focus on Coast Salish proto-Northwest Coast design system appears to have
youths. One of the main reasons was the significance of changed very little up through the very early historic
the area where the artwork was to be placed, an area that period. 16,p.12
was rich in archeological heritage – some areas of which These lessons were adapted by Karen to ensure that
had been previously disrupted by engineering projects. students could successfully turn their designs into public
Although the MOV’s Indigenous engagement strategy art designs. One exercise involved applying these designs
already focused on the MST nations, the City of Vancouver within a silhouette of a salmon that she created – this later
was also undertaking consultations for a new cultural plan became the basis of four of the projects. Negative elements
and noting an imbalance in representation around the city were later removed with an exacto knife, and colored paper
when it came to host nation art in public spaces. This was placed underneath, so the youths could envision how these
subsequently expressed in their document Culture | Shift: designs would translate into metal sculptures and ensure
Blanketing the City in Arts and Culture, as follows: they had structural integrity.
“Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First
Nations have thousands of years of living culture The 1 day of camp featured an orientation, followed
st
and deep connection with their lands and waters. by a tour of the collections, and a Formline Basics
However, Vancouver’s cultural landscapes do not fully drawing lesson with Karen Francis. During their tour
reflect this fact. Colonialism has contributed to many of the collection, youth were given post-it notes to flag
forms of exclusion and erasure, limiting Musqueam, belongings that they would like to take a closer look at
Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh involvement in defining later in the week. The main objective of this tour was to
and shaping Vancouver.” 15,p.35 demystify a collection visit and teach the students how to
access cultural belongings in a museum. At the end of the
3
In addition, the Marpole neighborhood where the
artworks were to be placed draws its name from an ancient week, we wanted them to understand that many museums
make their collections accessible online through their
Musqueam village known as c̓əsnaʔəm. For this, and the websites, and that in Canada, these are considered public
previously expressed reasons, there was a desire for the collections and community members have the right to visit
artworks to be culturally appropriate for the site to show
respect for its longstanding Indigenous history.
3 Many communities had their belongings confiscated by
4. Crafting the camp program Indian Agents and Missionaries during the period when the
Potlatch Ban was legally effective in Canada (1884–1951).
Reconciled Futures was offered as a Spring Break camp in In the 1970s, on the Northwest Coast of Canada, many
2019 and was 1 week in length. It ran Monday to Friday emerging Indigenous artists studied museum collections
from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and included a catered lunch to gain access to older examples and learn their art styles
each day. The camp was designed to give participants specific to their communities.

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 5 doi: 10.36922/ac.2488